In light of the rising global tensions and conflicts, it’s interesting to see how the military budget of the United States stands out at a whopping $997 billion. That’s nearly four times larger than China’s budget, which is around $314 billion. Just to put that into perspective, the U.S. military budget is even bigger than the entire GDP of Poland, which is $979 billion and ranks 20th among the world’s economies this year. It seems like military spending is on the rise all around the world, especially in Europe and the Middle East, as countries respond to ongoing challenges.
When we look at military spending more closely, the top five spenders have all ramped up their budgets over the past year, making up about 60% of total global military expenditure. Together, their spending reached a staggering $1.635 trillion! The U.S. leads the pack, accounting for 37% of worldwide military spending, while China follows with 12%. This means that these two countries together represent over half of the world’s military budget!
In Europe, Germany has made a notable leap in military spending, increasing by 28% to reach $88.5 billion, which is about 1.9% of its GDP. This places Germany as the fourth largest military spender globally, up from seventh last year, and for the first time since reunification, it now holds the title of the largest military spender in Central and Western Europe. Quite an impressive development!
Countries with the highest military spending, 2025
| Rank | Country | 2025 Defense Budget (US$ billion) | % of GDP | % of global |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 997 | 3.4 | 37 |
| 2 | China | 314 | 1.7 | 12 |
| 3 | Russia | 149 | 7.1 | 5.5 |
| 4 | Germany | 88.5 | 1.9 | 3.3 |
| 5 | India | 86.1 | 2.3 | 3.2 |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 81.8 | 2.3 | 3 |
| 7 | Saudi Arabia | 80.3 | 7.3 | 3 |
| 8 | Ukraine | 64.7 | 34 | 2.4 |
| 9 | France | 64.7 | 2.1 | 2.4 |
| 10 | Japan | 55.3 | 1.4 | 2 |
| 11 | South Korea | 47.6 | 2.6 | 1.8 |
| 12 | Israel | 46.5 | 8.8 | 1.7 |
| 13 | Poland | 38 | 4.2 | 1.4 |
| 14 | Italy | 38 | 1.6 | 1.4 |
| 15 | Australia | 33.8 | 1.9 | 1.2 |
| 16 | Canada | 29.3 | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| 17 | Turkey | 25 | 1.9 | 1 |
| 18 | Spain | 24.6 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| 19 | Netherlands | 23.2 | 1.9 | 0.7 |
| 20 | Algeria | 21.8 | 8 | 0.7 |
| 21 | Brazil | 20.9 | 1 | 0.7 |
| 22 | Mexico | 16.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| 23 | Taiwan | 16.5 | 2.1 | 0.5 |
| 24 | Colombia | 15.1 | 3.4 | 0.5 |
| 25 | Singapore | 15.1 | 2.8 | 0.4 |
| 26 | Sweden | 12 | 2 | 0.4 |
| 27 | Indonesia | 11 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| 28 | Norway | 10.4 | 2.1 | 0.4 |
| 29 | Pakistan | 10.2 | 2.7 | 0.4 |
| 30 | Denmark | 10 | 2.4 | 0.3 |
| 31 | Romania | 8.7 | 2.3 | 0.3 |
| 32 | Belgium | 8.6 | 1.3 | 0.3 |
| 33 | Greece | 8 | 3.1 | 0.3 |
| 34 | Iran | 7.9 | 2 | 0.3 |
| 35 | Kuwait | 7.8 | 4.8 | 0.3 |
| 36 | Finland | 7 | 2.3 | 0.3 |
| 37 | Switzerland | 6.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| 38 | Czech Republic (Czechia) | 6.5 | 1.9 | 0.2 |
| 39 | Iraq | 6.2 | 2.4 | 0.2 |
| 40 | Philippines | 6.1 | 1.3 | 0.2 |
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